ORIGINAL: pdoughertyMU
everything-from caribou,elk, whitetail, bear, goat, moose, muledeer, absolutely everything. I want power and flatness, so if i come across a trophy of a lifetime that is 500 yards away, I could take him.
Granted, I probably will not start hunting most of these species for a few years, but i figure i should get the gun soon and start practicing out to the 400-500 yard range, learning what loads work best, etc.
As of right now, I am thinking about going with a sako in .338 win mag, since the .300wsm has very little ammo options to choose from, and isn't that much different the the 7mm,
and a browning or tikka in .308.
I also am eyeballing the ruger hawkeye, or maybe a m77.
however, when i bought my tikka they seemed to be far more expesnive, now i see them on able ammo for only 514 bucks, which i think is horrendously cheap for the performance. I think i bought my light stainless, (now only 499) for 560-600.
So im currently going for the tikka because i am confident in its performance, but really would like the quality wood of the browning.
I have the Ruger M77 MK II, stainless synthetic in 7 Mag that I just bought last year and topped it off with a nice Nikon scope. I love the rifle but want to get a lighter trigger. Wait for the new Hawkeye that has a newer and improved trigger if the price is going to be no more then $100 more, otherwise you may have to incur the extra cost for a new trigger. On the bright side, all Ruger rifles come with scope rings that are ready to mount and once mounted are absolutely un-moveable. I love my MK II except for the heavy trigger that causes me to pull my shots and flinch more often. On that note, I hardly consider the Ruger a "cheap" rifle. It's an exceptional quality rifle for the price. Half the price of a Browning and just as good.